Free tool · prints in one click
Paperwork checklist builder
Tick your situation and get the documents a lender is likely to ask for, in plain English, with where to find each one. No email needed, and nothing you tick here is sent anywhere.
Your checklist
Your likely document list
Needed to enquire: nothing. No documents and no credit check to find out what's possible.
A guide based on your answers. Once you choose an option, we confirm exactly what that option needs, so you only gather what matters.
How the checklist builder works
Business loan paperwork isn't one fixed list. What a lender asks for depends on a handful of things you already know: how your business is set up, how long it's traded, how much you need and what for, whether property is involved, and where your tax is up to. The builder takes those answers and sorts the documents into three groups.
- Almost always needed for your situation, such as photo ID and your ABN.
- Likely, because of something you ticked, such as a trust deed for a trust or a rates notice when property is the security.
- Might be asked for, depending on the option and the lender, such as BAS for a mid-sized unsecured amount.
Each item includes a short note on where to find it and why a lender wants it, with links to our plain-English guides. Change any answer and the list updates instantly.
Why do smaller unsecured loans need fewer documents?
Unsecured and cash-flow options for trading businesses, typically $5,000 to $500,000, are commonly sized on turnover and bank statements. For smaller amounts, recent bank statements and ID often tell most of the story. As the amount grows, lenders usually want more of the picture: lodged BAS, tax returns or reports from your bookkeeping software.
What changes when property is the security?
Property-secured business loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000, as first mortgages, second mortgages or caveat loans over residential or commercial property. The focus shifts toward the property and a clear plan for repaying, so the list adds a rates notice, statements for any existing mortgage, and ID for every registered owner. The lender usually orders the title search and valuation itself. Our page on property-secured loan documents explains each item.
What if something on my list is missing?
That's common and usually fixable. Tax returns behind? Bank statements, BAS or an accountant's letter can sometimes stand in. Can't find old returns? The ATO lets you download lodged returns and notices of assessment from 2010 onwards; our guide to getting copies of tax documents shows how. Tax debt? It's considered case by case, and your ATO statement shows whether it's on a plan.
Do I need to gather everything before I enquire?
No, and we'd rather you didn't. The simplest path is to enquire first, with no documents and no credit check. A real person calls, explains which option fits, and confirms the exact list for that option. Then you gather once, in one batch. This builder is simply a head start so nothing on the final list surprises you.
Checklist questions
Do I need any of these documents to enquire?
No. You can enquire with no documents and no credit check. This list is for later, once you've talked to a real person and chosen an option.
Is this the exact list a lender will ask for?
It's the list a lender is likely to ask for, based on your answers. Once you choose an option, we confirm the precise list so you only gather what that option needs.
Why does the amount change the list?
Smaller unsecured amounts are often assessed mainly on bank statements and ID. Larger amounts usually need more of the story told, such as BAS, tax returns or financial reports.
Why are there extra items for trusts and companies?
The lender needs to confirm who is allowed to sign for the business and give security. For companies that means director details; for trusts, the trust deed and any variations.
Does the tool save my answers?
Your ticks are remembered in your own browser on this device only, so you can come back to your list. Nothing you enter here is sent to us.
Can I print the list?
Yes. Use the print button to print or save it as a PDF, with tick boxes you can mark off as you go.
Paperwork later. A simple question first.
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Ready when your paperwork is (or before)
You don't need a single document to ask what's possible. One short form, no credit check to enquire, and one real person on the other end.
No credit check to enquire
Not sent to a pile of lenders
A real person, plain English